The aquaculture sector is currently undergoing significant expansion due to the increasing need for food protein to sustain the global population. While it plays a crucial role in the economy, concerns persist regarding the environmental impacts and adverse social outcomes associated with aquaculture practices.
Within this framework, a team of researchers from various regions worldwide, including Dr. Carlos Chávez, academic at Universidad de Talca and Associate Researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), have released a publication entitled “Environmental, economic, and social sustainability in aquaculture: the aquaculture performance indicators”. This publication delves into the outcomes of aquaculture operations through the lens of three sustainability pillars, utilizing data analysis based on the Aquaculture Performance Indicators.
The study revealed that economic, social, and environmental outcomes, on average, mutually reinforce each other in global aquaculture systems. This suggests that it is feasible to achieve sustainable aquaculture production. Furthermore, the study highlights considerable disparities in sustainability levels among various aquaculture systems, with underperforming systems offering potential for enhancement through innovative policy interventions and investments aimed at aligning sustainability objectives.
Read the article “Environmental, economic, and social sustainability in aquaculture: the aquaculture performance indicators”, published in Nature Communications here
